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THE LUCKY ONE by Nicholas Sparks
A Book Review From the bestselling author of Message in a Bottle, The Notebook, A Walk to Remember and Nights in Rodanthe comes another volume to add to his renowned mix of tearful romances. The heavily anticipated The Lucky One, similar to its predecessors, revolves around a classic, fluffy, heart-warming, yet at the same time tragic love story between a man and a woman. Except whereas The Notebook covered the ‘classic’ bit, A Walk to Remember took the brunt in the tragedy department and Nights of Rodanthe tackled heart-warming, Nicholas Sparks’ latest novel revolves around the possibility of a fated love and the few snags encountered along the way. Zooming in on the lives of a modern American family in the suburbs, The Lucky One in this case initially appears to be Beth; she starts out as a notable hot single mother with an overly-controlling ex-husband. Life gets turned around completely with the arrival of an ex-US marine with the stoicism and muscularity of an Arnold Schwarzenneger character, as well as a multitude of abilities akin to those of a Renaissance man. He can cook, train dogs, play musical instruments and even act as the perfect father figure. What is even more amazing is that the characters within the novel never really question his motives or (lack of) character; the few times they do, they are content with his answers of “It was before/during/after Iraq”. Like many army men characters before him, Logan Thibault has his own personal black-and-white photo of a pretty girl, though not for typical reasons. Nevertheless, there is much to be enjoyed from reading the novel. Sparks continues his tradition of transforming simple archetypes into enjoyable characters that readers are able to identify with. Despite the initial premise, there is much realism to be had, especially concerning Beth’s situation. Unlike most of his other novels, The Lucky One devotes just as much attention to developing a family as it does shaping a risky romance. Often, the author is touted as one able to craft modern fairytales – in this case, it’s another hit in the making, burying intimate moments under snappy dialogue and aww-inducing moments, especially between Thibault and Beth’s son Ben. First-time readers of Sparks’ work will be pleasantly surprised at the easy read. Events turn up fresh in one’s mind because of the nice, flowing prose. Everything is presented in a straightforward manner which eliminates any possible confusion concerning the story. Teens and adults alike will find it enjoyable, easy and elegant. Long-time fans will find this novel slightly different from the rest. Characters are fleshed out more (not to worry, though; the important ones are still startlingly attractive) and though some parts might be to reminiscent of famous moments from Sparks’ previous works, there are enough twists and turns in the book to keep it from falling flat. Whether one finds themselves rooting for Thibault, Beth and Ben, or Nana, or maybe even the hostile Clayton, readers will enjoy immersing themselves in the uplifting tale of a family, of following intuition and of believing in destiny. |
